Blu-ray Review: INVASION OF THE BLOOD FARMERS (1972)

INVASION OF THE BLOOD FARMERS
Written & Directed by Ed Adlum
Distributed by CAV Distribution / Severin Films

 Severin Films continues to impress me with the titles they have been releasing lately!   One of their latest releases is the VHS classic, INVASION OF THE BLOOD FARMERS!  I remember seeing this VHS on the shelf of my local video store back when I was a kid.   I never watched it back then for some reason, so I was thrilled to get the chance to see it now on Blu-ray!   Unfortunately, the cover art might be the best part of this film! 

 Here is some info about the film from the official press release:

  In 1972, a team of New York City exploitation outlaws that included Ed Adlum (SHRIEK OF THE MUTILATED), Ed Kelleher (PRIME EVIL) and Michael & Roberta Findlay (THE TOUCH OF HER FLESH, SNUFF) – along with first-time assistant cameraman and future award-winning cinematographer Frederick Elmes (ERASERHEAD, BLUE VELVET) – descended on bucolic Westchester County with 8½ bottles of stage blood to make a movie about a Druid cult seeking to resurrect their dead queen. The budget was $24,000. The cast was paid in beer. And the result remains one of the greatest achievements in schlock/shock cinema history. Severin Films is proud to present this “accidental masterpiece” (Horror News) as you’ve never seen it before, now scanned from the original negative for the first time ever and spurting with all-new Special Features.

 I was really hoping to find a rare, awesome, grindhouse film that would immediately become a new personal favorite of mine.  Unfortunately, that is not what I found.   This movie is pretty bad to be completely honest with you.   BUT....it is so bad that it falls into the "so-bad-it's-good" column.   In fact, this would be a great movie to watch with a group of friends while drinking and laughing at the film.  I could see this as being a lot of fun to watch in a group.  Watching by myself was not as fun! 

 So, what's so bad about it you ask?  Well, the first thing I noticed was horrible editing/camera work.  A guy would be talking and then all the sudden it would jump to a close up of his face for 1 second and then back to the original camera angle.  I have no clue what that was for!  Secondly was the horrendous acting.  I guess if the cast is paid in beer, then you can't be too critical of their acting ability.   Also, the lady that played the "Dead Queen" needs to learn that dead people don't breathe!  I could not take her seriously when I could plainly see her chest moving up and down during her scenes! 

 Now, as bad as this was, it did have some scenes that were pretty good, mainly the few scenes they show when they capture people and take them to the shack to drain their blood.   These could have been extremely disturbing, was it not for the ridiculous audio dub of the people...not so much screaming, but just whooping and hollering.   That made what could have been a horrifying scene into something laughable again.  

 INVASION OF THE BLOOD FARMERS was a cool idea, and could have been a great movie if it had more of a budget and better actors.   This is one of the few times I wish someone would remake a film.  I think this film had tons of potential, it just wasn't executed well at all.

 As always, this is just one reviewers opinion.  I encourage everyone to check out the film and make their own decision of it.   Fans of low-budget schlock films might absolutely adore this one!

 INVASION OF THE BLOOD FARMERS is available now on DVD & Blu-ray and contains the following special features:

*  Audio commentary with director Ed Adlum and actress Ortrum Tippel, moderated by Kier-La Janisse, author of House of Psychotic Women
*  Nothing You’d Show Your Mom: Eddie Adlum’s journey through exploitation, coin-op & rock n’ roll 
*  Interview with actor Jack Neubeck
*  Painful Memories: An interview with cinematographer Frederick Elmes
*  Trailer
 

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD
CLICK HERE to purchase the Blu-ray

DVD Review: HAUNTEDWEEN (1991)

HAUNTEDWEEN
Written & Directed by Doug Robertson

  I love finding out about lesser known, independent horror films.  I find a lot more passion and heart goes into these films than a lot of the well known, mainstream horror films that we are constantly fed these days.   This was the case when I came across Doug Robertson's low budget horror film called, HAUNTEDWEEN.    I love checking out low budget horror films, and I am so glad I had to opportunity to watch this one!

 Here is the basic plot synopsis courtesy of the film's IMDb page:

  Twenty years ago a deadly accident forced Eddie Burber from his home. Since Eddie was younger he wanted to be part of the family business "The Burber Haunted House." A note is placed on the local Fraternity giving permission to use the old house as a fund-raiser. While the students prepare the house, they soon are hunted down and placed in the Haunted House for amusement. One thing is for sure. Nobody knows it really happening - People are dying, and people are laughing.

 First thing I have to get out of the way right away is to mention again that this is a very low budget movie.   Know that going into the film and you will have a lot of fun with this one.  Yes, you have to get past some pretty bad acting, but it is still a lot of fun.   I could tell from the beginning that this was a film made by horror fans that knew what other horror fans wanted in a film.   They did not disappoint at all!

 The film has a very cool premises of a killer that makes his way inside a haunted house and turns one of the supposedly fake rooms into an actual killing room.   In this room, the maniac kills off the college kids one by one, in some crazy, bloody ways.  All this happens while the customers of the haunted house look on and cheer the killer on, believing what they are watching was set up by the makers of the haunted house.   It's really quite eerie if you think about it, and makes you wonder if this has or ever could happen in real life.  

  All of the effects are practical, of course, and the filmmakers did an amazing job with the budget they were working with.  

 If you are a fan of low budget, independent cinema, you will definitely want to give this one a watch.   The DVD is available now and contains the following special features:

*  45 minute making of Documentary
*  Photo Album of the cast and crew
*  Director and Producer running commentary
*  Scene titles and jump to feature
*  Hauntedween - the music video
*  Original movie trailer


CLICK HERE to view the HAUNTEDWEEN Facebook page
CLICK HERE to visit the HAUNTEDWEEN website and purchase the DVD

DVD Review: EMPIRE OF THE APES (2013)

EMPIRE OF THE APES
Written & Directed by Mark Polonia
Distributed by MVD Entertainment

  Wow.  I have seen some bad, low budget movies before, but this one is up there among the worst.
Here is the plot synopsis from the MVD website:

  In a distant galaxy three escaped female convicts crash land on a primitive world inhabited by a race of warlike apes. They fight for survival as the humanoid apes fight for their possession, body and soul. A daring escape is their only way out. Hot on their heels are the blood lusting gorillas and a prison warden bent on their return to the prison ship they escaped from.

  EMPIRE OF THE APES is one of those films that could have been in the "so bad, it's good" category.  Unfortunately, it is just in the "so bad, it's really bad" category.   I really don't like giving negative reviews, as I know how hard it is to make a movie.  So much time and effort goes into making a film, that I feel bad for writing negatively about someone's work.  But, I don't really fell bad this time because I think the filmmakers know this is a bad film.  They have to...how could they not?  The actors also had to know they were in a bad movie the first time they saw the actors dressed up in the ape costumes and read any line of dialog for the film.  Also, anytime you put "special effects" in your film that look this bad, I can't help but think that it was intentional.  Maybe it wasn't, but I am giving the filmmakers the benefit of the doubt.

  I usually like to point out some good things in a negative review, but I honestly just can't find anything good to say about this one.  What could have been a fun, cheesy, sci-fi/horror/exploitation film turned out to be nothing but a big dud.  Better luck to the filmmakers on their next effort.

  If you want to give this a watch and see for yourself, the DVD is available now from MVD Entertainment.


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD

Movie Review: DEATH BY VHS (2013)

 
DEATH BY VHS
Written by  Scarlet Fry
Directed by Scarlet Fry, David Sabal, and Jacob D. O'Neal

I recently had the privilege of checking out the latest film from Director Scarlet Fry called DEATH BY VHS.   I enjoyed his last couple of low-budget outings, NIGHTMARE ALLEY and JUNKFOOD HORRORFEST, I was expecting to enjoy this one as well, and I was not disappointed.  Before I get to my review, here is the basic plot synopsis of the film:

A battered and mysterious VCR...A bevy of lethal video- tapes... These are the building blocks of horror in "DEATH BY VHS".  A mind blowing descent into madness and death. Five shocking vignettes, designed to take your sanity and devour your soul!  Mild curiosity leads to severe consequences when a couple rents a supposedly cursed video cassette recorder. An urban legend renowned for leaving a trail of agonizing and torturous death. Unbelieving, they take the plunge... And another legend is horrifyingly born...
Do you dare give fate a winning hand, and test yourself against the hellish consequences of the VHS machine?  Insert Cassette Press Play...DIE!

Ok, before I start let me say if you have seen NIGHTMARE ALLEY or JUNKFOOD HORRORFEST, you know exactly what you are in for. These are very low budget films and it shows....but, don't let that keep you from watching this film.  What it lacks in budget, it makes up for in storytelling and charm, and keeps you entertained.  That is really all you need from a movie, big budget, small budget...it doesn't really matter as long as it does what a movie is supposed to do, and that is entertain you in some form or fashion.

Now I will say that the low budget does make for some unfortunate technical problems with this film.  Most notably the sound quality and picture quality in a few scenes.  If the filmmakers can get a little more $$ behind their next feature, it would help to improve those areas for sure.   Sometimes it was very hard to make out what the actors were saying due to the sound quality or background music being louder than the dialog.   I like low budget cinema and can appreciate it though, so this did not take the enjoyment out of watching the film for me. 

Like NIGHTMARE ALLEY and JUNKFOOD HORRORFEST, DEATH BY VHS is an anthology made up of 5 different stories/short films.  The film centers around couple that hear about these VHS tapes that have some power that gets you high by watching them.  The couple get the VHS player and the tapes from the local drug dealer, and head home to watch the films.  Each film they watch takes them to a deeper and darker place, with fatal (yet, hilarious) consequences after watching all 5 films. 

 The 5 short films within the movie are very interesting and of varied sub-genres.  The first film is "Suburban She Freak" and was probably my favorite tale of the bunch.  It centers around a woman with a major face deformity that she struggles with, until one day she orders a secret elixir from a black magic shop on the Internet.  She takes the elixir and all is well, but sometimes the side effects to certain medications can be killer!

  The next film was a black and white zombie film (I don't remember seeing a name for this one) that was very well done, and had zombies reminiscent of Romero's zombies from NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD.  Lots of good gore in this one!  Check out the intestine eating scene in the trailer!

  Next was a film called "Christmas Krampus" which centers around a retarded boy and his awful, abusive parents.  Santa has a special place in his heart for kids with disabilities apparently, and gives the little boy exactly what he wanted for Christmas!  This one was a good story, and tremendous acting by the man playing the part of the mentally challenged boy.  Some may not like this one or feel as it is making fun of the handicapped, and it is a valid argument.  So, just beware going into this one.  

  The next film was titled, "Regenerate" and was a great story of an abusive boyfriend who treats his paralyzed, wheelchair bound girlfriend horribly.   A friend of hers gives her a secret drug that will help her walk again, but before that happens, her abusive boyfriend ends up killing her.  But...will that stop the drug from working? 

  The final film is called "Lepus" and I think it was the longest of all the films, at least it felt that way to me.  I would think they would leave the best for last, but unfortunately this was my least favorite of the short films.  It does contain one of the creepiest killers you will see...some dude dressed in a bunny suit that keeps saying something in German and hacking people up with a hatchet!  Unfortunately, that for me was about all it had going for it. 

  Overall, I enjoyed this film and recommend it.  This is how low-budget film making should be.  You can tell it's low  budget, but there is enough there to keep you entertained and wanting to watch.  This film reminds me of the old EC comics like "Tales from the Crypt" or "Vault of Horror" in that most of those tales had a lesson to learn from them.  This is the case with these stories as well, especially with "Suburban She Freak"  (negative results from doing anything to improve outward beauty) and "Regenerate" (don't treat others bad, or something even worse will happen to you).

DEATH BY VHS is not perfect by any means, but it is fun and entertaining which is all I ask for in a film.   DEATH BY VHS should be available on DVD this summer. 


CLICK HERE to watch the trailer

DVD Review: NIGHT OF THE TENTACLES (2013)

 
NIGHT OF THE TENTACLES
Written & Directed by:  Dustin Mills
Distributed by MVDvisual

  I love the cover of this DVD.  What a great cover...from the pic, to the cool font of the title.  The case for this DVD is awesome!  Unfortunately, what is inside the case...well..not so much.  Here is the plot of NIGHT OF THE TENTACLES from the MVD website:

  In this obscene Faustian tale a young artist sells his soul to Satan for the new heart he so desperately needs. The only catch is that the heart is a tentacled monstrosity with a hunger for human flesh! Will Dave get the girl of his dreams? Will he run out of neighbors to feed to his infernal heart? Will Delilah ever finish urinating? Find out in NIGHT OF THE TENTACLES!!!

  This will be a short review, as there is really not much to say about this one.  The acting is horrible, especially from the lead male playing the part of Dave.  He might have potential to be a good actor, but in this film he overacts way too much, making some really dumb faces and facial expressions all throughout the film.  It's almost like he is trying to be like Bruce Campbell from the EVIL DEAD films except he is trying way too hard.  Watch it and you will probably see what I mean. 

  This film is very low budget and it shows.  Now don't get me wrong, I can enjoy and appreciate a good, low-budget film.  I have seen a lot of them.  As long as they entertain me and keep me interested, I couldn't care less what the budget for the film was.  NIGHT OF THE TENTACLES did not keep me interested.  In fact, it took me a couple of times to watch the film as I kept falling asleep. 

  I really can't recommend this film to anyone.  BUT...like I always say, check it out for yourself and see what you think.  I have seen quite a few positive review quotes about this film, so maybe it is just me.  I have to be honest in my reviews, though, so I am telling it like it is.  

 If you have seen this film, leave a comment and let me know what you thought of this movie.  Am I wrong in my negative review of this film?  Leave a comment and let me know!

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD